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Community outreach credited for drop in homicides

This year, at the halfway point, looks promising and the mayor on Wednesday spent a lot of time giving credit to one thing for the decreasing homicide rate: a better relationship between police and communities.

This year, at the halfway point, looks promising and the mayor on Wednesday spent a lot of time giving credit to one thing for the decreasing homicide rate: a better relationship between police and communities.

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Updated: 5:55 PM EDT Jul 2, 2014

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WEBVTT THE VICTIM WAS TAKEN TO AN AREA HOSPITAL BUT NO WORD ON HIS CURRENT CONDITION. IS IT JUST A BLIP OR IS BALTIMORE TURNING THE CORNER IN REDUCING ITS HOMICIDE RATE? OUR I-TEAM REPORTER IS CHASING THE QUESTION AND JOINS US LIVE FROM THE ENOUGH -- FROM THE 11 NEWSROOM. HOMICIDE STRUCK BELOW 200 IN 2011 BUT THEN CLIMBED AGAIN IN THE YEARS FOLLOWING. THIS YEAR, THE HALFWAY POINT LOOKS PROMISING. THE MAYOR SPENT A LOT OF TIME DOING CREDIT TO ONE SINGLE THING. THIS VISIT BY ANTHONY BASS WAS NOT JUST A PHOTO OP, BUT ARE -- BUT PART OF AN EFFORT TO REPAIR YEARS OF DISTRUST FROM POLICE IN COMMUNITIES. BUT HER IS NO WAY FOR US TO BE SAFE, TO REDUCE VIOLENCE WITHOUT BEING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITIES THAT ARE IMPACTED MOST. AT A DATE PAST THE HALFWAY MARK OF 2014, HOMICIDES ARE AT 98. STILL VERY HIGH, BUT DOWN SIX TEEN PERCENT FROM THIS TIME LAST YEAR. REMARKABLY, THERE WAS NEARLY A MURDER A DAY IN JANUARY, THE PACE HAS SLOWED SIGNIFICANTLY. THE MAYOR CREDITS THE WORK BEING DONE IN 17 ZONES AROUND THE CITY WHERE VIOLENCE IS MOST PREVALENT, BUT THE BIGGEST FACTOR IS THE EFFORT TO BUILD BETTER RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE COMMUNITY. I'M ASKING THE QUESTION, ARE WE DOING THIS RIGHT? HOW CAN WE WORK BUT ARE TOGETHER? AFTER HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND WORKING VERY HARD, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS NO RYE GRASS WILL STOP CHARGES HAVE BEEN DROPPING, THERE WERE 234 DISCOURTESY COMPLAINTS WHILE AGAINST LISA IN 2010. JUST 89 IN 2013. THIS YEAR, POLICE SAY THERE HAVE BEEN 41. I'M LOOKING FOR A SUSTAINABLE CHANGE IN DRAMATIC CHANGE. I KNOW BALTIMORE CAN BE A SAFER CITY AND I WILL NOT RELENT IN TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO GET US THERE. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT NUMBERS PROVIDED TO US TODAY SHOW A DROP IN EXCESSIVE FORCE COMPLAINTS TO 46% FROM 2010 TO 2013. THE COMMISSION OR OVERHAULED THE VIOLENT CRIME IMPACT DIVISION, A VERY LARGE PART WHICH HE SAYS IS

Community outreach credited for drop in homicides

This year, at the halfway point, looks promising and the mayor on Wednesday spent a lot of time giving credit to one thing for the decreasing homicide rate: a better relationship between police and communities.